


The Path of an Exorcist

by Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas



Category: Tales of Berseria
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 09:32:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15660492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas/pseuds/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas
Summary: Eleanor Hume, once a proud member of the exorcists, now finds herself questioning her entire life. Will she find the resolve and the answers that she’s looking for?





	The Path of an Exorcist

To say that Eleanor Hume stood out in the midst of the group consisting of daemons, pirates and whatever Magilou actually was would have been an understatement. She and Laphicet were the ones that stood out from the rest like a pair of sore thumbs. Laphicet had been quick to embrace his surroundings though; already doing his best to mimic the poses that Velvet, Rokurou, and Eizen did in order to look that much more intimidating, even though, much to his dismay,  it often had the exact opposite effect.   
  
For Eleanor, though, that transition hadn’t been half as easy. For her, the sudden drastic change in how she had to view not only her entire life, but the world around her as well was one that she still couldn’t say, in good conscious, she had come to terms with. For so long, she had based her life around the principle that the cause of the Abbey was just. That what they were doing was for the greater good of mankind. It was those ideals; those sacred principles that had lead to her picking up her spear and becoming an exorcist. Only for her world to turn in on its head. While some people seemed to thrive in such chaos, such as the self proclaimed witch of their ragtag group, for Eleanor, that simply didn’t settle with her.   
  
What Eleanor needed in her life was a goal, but even above that, she needed to know the  _ truth _ . For as long as she could remember, she had seen the teachings of the Abbey and Shepherd Artorius himself as a code. Morales to live by. She had dedicated so much of herself to them that she hadn’t given herself even a chance to doubt them. Their cause had been just, and suddenly that world built on peaceful lack of truth was set in flames by none other than the Lord of Calamity herself; Velvet Crowe.   
  
Feeling the gentle breeze of the sea blowing through her hair, Eleanor closed her eyes as she listened to the calm sounds of the ocean hitting against the wooden frame of the Van Eltia. Given everything she had seen and been through in the last few days, it was peaceful, quiet moments like these that she longed for the most. It didn’t help her clear her mind, though, as she was still very much torn apart from within.   
  
Eleanor was so deep in her thoughts, that she didn’t seem to register what other noises were around her. The sound of seagulls flying by was one she had quickly gotten used to, but this time the sound of footsteps went unregistered until she felt a hand rest against her shoulder.   
  
“I hope that I’m not interrupting anything,” Rokurou said with a slightly puzzled look on his face. Or half of it, given that rest of it was covered by his messy, black hair.   
  
Eleanor was so caught by surprise that she gasped both visibly and out loud. “H-Hey, don’t sneak up on people like that!” She huffed in response, but soon enough, she calmed down after she noticed by his expression that clearly that hadn’t been his intention. Maybe she was simply on the edge. It most certainly wouldn’t be the first time. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’ve just been… thinking.”   
  
“It’s alright,” Rokurou was quick to reply. Leaning up against the wooden support frame of the ship, Rokurou joined her to glance into the vast, seemingly endless open sea. Pulling his hand away from Eleanor’s shoulder, he soon tilted his head to look at the woman beside her. “Do you want to talk about it? I know I’m probably not the best person to talk about anything that deep or meaningful, but I still have a pair of working ears if that’s what you’re after.”   
  
Smiling at Rokurou’s comment, Eleanor joined him in leaning up against the frame and bending over a bit. “I suppose that will have to do,” She chuckled softly before continuing: “I’ve just been thinking about my place in life. With everything that has happened, I’m no longer certain about where I should be standing, let alone what I should be doing with my life. I’ve never been the type who just… wings things, you know?” Eleanor asked, tilting her head a bit to look at Rokurou.   
  
Rokurou didn’t say anything in response, as he first simply eyed Eleanor from head to toe. Soon enough, his lips curled up into a sly little smirk before he turned to look at the ocean once more. “Yeah, well, I can’t say I know you, but I can totally believe that. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re definitely a bit of an uptight type of person. In both good and bad ways.”   
  
Eleanor huffed again, but clearly that wasn’t meant as an insult. Hearing the harsh truth was something Eleanor wasn’t quite used to. Magilou, too, talked so openly about her views of life and how meaningless it all was had been. Eleanor had first taken it as a shock joke, only to find out that Magilou hadn’t joined her in laughing at it. “Yes, I suppose that’s just who I am. But that’s not what’s bothering me right now…”   
  
Rokurou once again didn’t say anything initially, as instead he let the silence take over. He gave Eleanor some time to pull herself and her thoughts together, and simply looked at her, wordlessly gesturing for her to continue when she felt like it.   
  
“How can I just abandon everything I’ve once believed in? My whole life has been based around the teachings of the Abbey, and now all of you are saying that everything that has shaped me to be the person I am today has been a lie. Maybe waging a war against the Abbey and the Shepherd is easier for all of you, but to me, that’s not just a battle up against an organization, people, or ideals… to me it’s fighting against everything I’ve been taught in life.”   
  
Turning to face Eleanor properly, Rokurou reached out for his bottle attached onto his waist.  Taking a sip from it, he poured a small portion on a plate before handing it to Eleanor. After she grabbed it from his hand, he spoke up: “I wish I could tell you what you’re supposed to do or believe, but sadly, I’m not you unless by some miracle we’ll end up switching bodies or something,” Rokurou smirked. Noticing a faint blush and that ever familiar huff on Eleanor’s face, Rokurou was quick to continue in order not to anger the red haired exorcist too much. “But what I do know is that you can’t live your life based solely on what is expected of you. Maybe I’m not the best person to preach about how one should live their lives, but I do know that you should be living your life the way you want to. I guess at the end of the day, when you close your eyes, can you justify the way you’re living your life and what you’re doing with it to yourself? If so, well… I think that you’re doing at least something right.”   
  
Taking a sip of Rokurou’s booze, Eleanor scoffed at the taste. She wasn’t exactly a drinking type to begin with, but the gesture was an appreciated one. “I think that you’re right. I… if everything I’ve been told, if everything I’ve seen turns out to indeed be true, then I can’t simply close my eyes and pretend that I haven’t seen it all. I suppose that… sometimes living the life that you know to be the right one isn’t the easiest path to follow.”   
  
“Well, I can most certainly agree with that,” Rokurou grinned. “But hey, don’t you worry your cute little red hair, okay?. At least you’re not here to kill someone like pretty much the rest of us are, so it should be a lot easier for you to figure it all out.”   
  
Before Eleanor could comment on what Rokurou had just said and teased her about, he was already taking his leave. Turning her attention back into the vast, open sea, Eleanor let out a sigh as she closed her eyes.  _ “Maybe I can’t simply continue to base my life solely on reason anymore. What I need to do is find the truth and make my own decisions. Relying on comfortable lies is an easy way to live your life, but that’s not the path I want to take. I know that this journey of ours isn’t going to be easy, but… I will not falter. I will find the truth and live my life with that in my heart, no matter what it takes.” _ __   
  


Without even realizing it, Eleanor had a wide smile on her face. It was on that day that Eleanor had found her true resolve.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written as a part of Berseria week event Day 1 Emotion/Reason ( https://berseriaweek.tumblr.com/ ).
> 
> You can also find me at tumblr http://lordofspiritsandbazongas.tumblr.com/ If you have ideas, suggestions, feedback, comment, anything like that, feel free to contact me.


End file.
